Prospect Info: 2021 NHL Draft Prospects

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Here is the latest scouching on Fabian Lysell.

Looks like a discount version of Raymond to me. A lot of skill and a lot of speed but I still think he's borderline top 10 in this draft.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Here's a decent breakdown of Eklund's game by Will Scouching. There's pros and cons to his game for sure, but I would say that Eklund has a very safe floor as a 2nd line forward but with his smarts and tenacity could become a guy like Zetterberg if things shake out for the best. Or he could become a guy like Elias Lindholm which is still pretty good. And like I said before, I'm willing to bet that at some point in his career Eklund converts to center.

I feel like you were, but I can't remember for certain...were you on the Rossi train?

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I feel like you were, but I can't remember for certain...were you on the Rossi train?

I was. My choices for Detroit at 4 were Rossi and Lundell.

Were it not for COVID we'd probably have seen Rossi in the NHL this year. That kid had a terrible case.

 

[Frk It]

I agree it's an interesting debate. If Wright was in this draft I'd be happy to take him 1st OA despite having not played. In general, production makes me feel a lot better about a pick.

I think that's a somewhat difficult question as there's no player precisely like Zetterberg. I do think there are a large number of players that are better than the sum of their parts though: Marchand, Bergeron, Barkov, Stone, Huberdeau, Scheifele, O'Reilly, Pavelski, JVR, Couturier, Saad. Maybe you can take exception to a few names for having size, or hands but I think each of those players is someone who performs better than their tools would imply. Admittedly, like Zetterberg, they're all very responsible, defensively capable players and I don't know if I'm comfortable projecting Eklund to have that defensive impact though I do think he is a good defensive player. Some of these names, Huberdeau for example, had elite skills on draft day and developed into more all arounders in the NHL. There's also players like Point that lacked an elite skill on draft day but developed one later.

I think it's very reasonable to prefer Johnson (just for example) to Eklund because he has more elite tools. But I also think it's reasonable to say that Eklund produced really well, and I'm comfortable projecting him as a second line winger at least. If he develops an elite skill or manages to be an elite all arounder maybe he can even be a 1C. When I feel uncertain about a group of prospects, give me the guy that's producing in a very hard league to produce in.

I also don't think we should ignore that Eklund does have a lot of great tools. Just nothing that stands out as "oh my god what a shot/dangle/pass."

Yeah, ideally you get both. I don't like drafting kids that are all tools, personally. I also generally don't like betting against kids that have always been productive to stop being productive.

But this is why you have scouts. To dig beyond the numbers. My concern with Eklund is that his stats/production are driving his draft ranking moreso than his tools are. Kind of like my concern with Mac Jones in this recent NFL Draft. But I could be wrong on both fronts. I am fine with Eklund in the 6-9 range, especially since it would be coming with a Hakan endorsement. I try to be more open minded when drafting 6-9 than 1-4.

 

[Hen Kolland]

I was. My choices for Detroit at 4 were Rossi and Lundell.

Were it not for COVID we'd probably have seen Rossi in the NHL this year. That kid had a terrible case.

I think this alone should answer a lot of questions for people who push back on your stance for Eklund. When people try to compare to Rossi as a negative, it probably only helps you feel confident in your position.

Clearly your stance on size and skating ability is very passive when it comes to how drastic perceived problems are or how important they are.

 

[Frk It]

Here is the latest scouching on Fabian Lysell.

Looks like a discount version of Raymond to me. A lot of skill and a lot of speed but I still think he's borderline top 10 in this draft.

I think Rosen is more appealing to me towards the end of round 1, if he can be had there.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I think this alone should answer a lot of questions for people who push back on your stance for Eklund. When people try to compare to Rossi as a negative, it probably only helps you feel confident in your position.

Clearly your stance on size and skating ability is very passive when it comes to how drastic perceived problems are or how important they are.

Rossi and Eklund aren't comparable as players. His draft comparable, and rightfully so, is Lucas Raymond. They play in the same men's league. Both are undersized wingers that play strong 2-way games and have comparable toolsets. And points do matter; Eklund outscored his peers in a men's league in his draft year. That isn't something to discount.

As for Eklund's skating, show me more than one scouting report that says it's a problem and I'd be glad to discuss that. What I won't do is turn this into a Rossi debate.

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

If we cant get Power or Hughes i want Johnson. I think clarke and guenther will go before him. Hopefully someone swings on edvinsson and beniers before us as well

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Here's the scouching on Luke Hughes. Looks about as advertised: Phenomenal skating. Not as good offensively as his brother Quinn. Not as good defensively as Jake Sanderson. I don't know if he's top 3 or picked between 8 and 10.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Rossi and Eklund aren't comparable as players. His draft comparable, and rightfully so, is Lucas Raymond. They play in the same men's league. Both are undersized wingers that play strong 2-way games and have comparable toolsets. And points do matter; Eklund outscored his peers in a men's league in his draft year. That isn't something to discount.

As for Eklund's skating, show me more than one scouting report that says it's a problem and I'd be glad to discuss that. What I won't do is turn this into a Rossi debate.

Please don't. I'm not making it a comparison of play styles or as players.

I'm not saying that Eklund's skating is a problem, I am saying that you don't think skating is as impactful as others do, and for Eklund to not be a world class skater is not a significant consideration for his potential.

You can try your hardest to pretend that Eklund's tools are comparable to Raymond, but I think he's behind in nearly every single one of them...the production is in Eklund's favor, but I think that's the only thing. You can make that into as big of a factor as you would like.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Please don't. I'm not making it a comparison of play styles or as players.

I'm not saying that Eklund's skating is a problem, I am saying that you don't think skating is as impactful as others do, and for Eklund to not be a world class skater is not a significant consideration for his potential.

You can try your hardest to pretend that Eklund's tools are comparable to Raymond, but I think he's behind in nearly every single one of them...the production is in Eklund's favor, but I think that's the only thing. You can make that into as big of a factor as you would like.

In what way are Eklund's tools behind Raymond? I watched both quite a bit this year. Eklund carried his line in Djurgarden more than Raymond carried his in Frolunda.

Passing: Eklund narrowly edges Raymond in this category. Both are great. Eklund does some things with the puck in the offensive zone that make me believe he's going to hit 40+ assists regularly in his career, though.
Shooting: Eklund is at least equal to Raymond in this area, maybe better Raymond has a great wrist shot, but Eklund's one-timer and backhand are really damn good.
Stickhandling: About equal. Raymond has more flash to beat defenders. Eklund protects the puck like someone who is 6'3", not 5'10".
Strength: Eklund can take a hit pretty well for someone his size and wins a lot of his board battles for a small guy. I saw Raymond take some bumps this year that had me wondering if he would be able to get up. I never had that fear when Eklund got hit the same way.
Size: Like I said before, Eklund is only 1cm shorter than Raymond. He's also a bit younger so I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 5'11" or 6'0" eventually. Give the edge to Raymond for now.
Skating: Raymond beats Eklund but it's not a runaway win. Raymond is more agile but Eklund goes from center red line to goal line with the puck at almost as fast as Raymond.
IQ: Both are incredibly smart 200 foot players. Both have a lot of offensive creativity. Too close to call.
Work ethic: Both are incredibly driven players and I don't see either being the kind to take a shift off.

 

[HisNoodliness]

Yeah, ideally you get both. I don't like drafting kids that are all tools, personally. I also generally don't like betting against kids that have always been productive to stop being productive.

But this is why you have scouts. To dig beyond the numbers. My concern with Eklund is that his stats/production are driving his draft ranking moreso than his tools are. Kind of like my concern with Mac Jones in this recent NFL Draft. But I could be wrong on both fronts. I am fine with Eklund in the 6-9 range, especially since it would be coming with a Hakan endorsement. I try to be more open minded when drafting 6-9 than 1-4.

I think we're on pretty much the same page. If we won the lottery, I don't think I could advocate for Eklund at 1 or 2. I think Power and Hughes both have 1D upside and look fairly certain to be decent NHLers. I think Beniers projects most comfortably as a center and has a really high 2C floor.

I'd certainly prefer Eklund as a prospect if he had an elite tool to point at. But as you said, I don't think we should bet that suddenly he won't be able to have the same success he's always had. At this time, I think Eklund is my third rated forward in the draft. I like Johnson's skills more and I think his ceiling is more elite so for me I'll take Johnson above Eklund. I feel a little more comfortable projecting Eklund if he doesn't reach his ceiling though and think his season in the SHL was more impressive than Johnson's in the NCAA.

Guenther seems great but I think we have to take a guy that at least has a chance to be a C. I like Lyell's game a lot but I also think he's a little redundant in our system. Does he do anything for me that Zadina or Raymond can't? Not really.

If I had to give my tiers for who the Wings should pick (in order) it's
1. Power, Hughes (if the Wings are really worried about the injury I'd understand passing on him) and Beniers

2. Johnson, Eklund, Clarke, Edvinson
Give me one of those 7 and I'm happy. Give me Guenther, Lysell, or Wallstedt and I'm not happy, but not that upset either. Go off the board and I'll just shake my head and hope for the best.

 

[Frk It]

Shooting: Eklund is at least equal to Raymond in this area, maybe better Raymond has a great wrist shot, but Eklund's one-timer and backhand are really damn good.
Stickhandling: About equal. Raymond has more flash to beat defenders. Eklund protects the puck like someone who is 6'3", not 5'10".

Show me Eklund doing stuff like this.

I really disagree on the shot. Raymond has bested Askarov a bunch in international tourneys. Something that the US team with a ton of 1st rounders couldn't do.

 

[jfrank21]

Show me Eklund doing stuff like this.

I really disagree on the shot. Raymond has bested Askarov a bunch in international tourneys. Something that the US team with a ton of 1st rounders couldn't do.

To be fair, Eklund hasnt been given that opportunity due to circumstances completely out of his control. Last years u18's were cancelled so he didnt have a chance to shine, and he would have been on this year's u20 team but again, his team was dealing with a covid outbreak and he wasnt allowed to go.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Show me Eklund doing stuff like this.

I really disagree on the shot. Raymond has bested Askarov a bunch in international tourneys. Something that the US team with a ton of 1st rounders couldn't do.

I’m pretty sure I posted this already.



Saying Eklund’s shot is as good or better than Raymond’s isn’t a slight on Raymond.

 

[Frk It]

To be fair, Eklund hasnt been given that opportunity due to circumstances completely out of his control. Last years u18's were cancelled so he didnt have a chance to shine, and he would have been on this year's u20 team but again, his team was dealing with a covid outbreak and he wasnt allowed to go.

That's true, I would have liked to see him play in a tournament against his peers.

 

[Frk It]

Well... ya may have sold me on Eklund over Edvinsson.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Rossi and Eklund aren't comparable as players. His draft comparable, and rightfully so, is Lucas Raymond. They play in the same men's league. Both are undersized wingers that play strong 2-way games and have comparable toolsets. And points do matter; Eklund outscored his peers in a men's league in his draft year. That isn't something to discount.

As for Eklund's skating, show me more than one scouting report that says it's a problem and I'd be glad to discuss that. What I won't do is turn this into a Rossi debate.

And that is why he doesn't get the blood pumping to my junk. We drafted this player last year. As you point out, his name is Lucas Raymond. Is undersized winger really what you want to double down on? I think Eklund is more than reasonable between 4 and 9. That doesn't mean that I am overly excited about picking him for the Wings.

 

[deca guard]

________
TOP 5
________
1- POWER
2- BERNIERS
3- CLARKE
4- GUENTHER
5- EDVINSON

* no more small rat forwards

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

Here's a decent breakdown of Eklund's game by Will Scouching. There's pros and cons to his game for sure, but I would say that Eklund has a very safe floor as a 2nd line forward but with his smarts and tenacity could become a guy like Zetterberg if things shake out for the best. Or he could become a guy like Elias Lindholm which is still pretty good. And like I said before, I'm willing to bet that at some point in his career Eklund converts to center.

Yeah I did catch this one from Scouching a couple weeks back fortunately.

Again, I do generally like Eklund as a prospect. I won't shed tears if he ends up our pick. But I don't see that Zetterberg outcome as likely enough for me to bet on him over some of the other names I anticipate will be on the board when we pick. I think Lindholm is more realistic in terms of impact, but again that's a 6'1 player. I'm not one to harp on size, but I do think it's worth mentioning when comparing Eklund to Lindholm.

I also agree with you and other posters that production is still a big factor and you can't just gloss over the fact that he's produced well in the SHL this year. At the same time, I think that reasoning has justified some poor picks in the past, like Jesperi Kotkaniemi at #3 and Lias Andersson at #7 for example.

Even that highlight video leaves me with some doubts. Like I see an intelligent an competitive player, but I also see some really puzzling missed defensive assignments and some very poor goalie mechanics. I know that's going to be true for all draft eligibles, but it does leave me questioning what Eklund can hang his hat on if the production dries up as he moves up a level.

As far as his projection as a center, I agree with you that he seems to have some of the traits for a good center, but he hasn't played there for Djugardens and I haven't heard any scouts or writers indicate that he's likely to transition to center going forward, so I'm really just not comfortable weighing that into my projection of this player.

Again, there's plenty I like about his game too. I just think that there's likely a player on the board, be it Hughes, Clarke, Johnson, etc., that I'd prefer at 6 or 7.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

And that is why he doesn't get the blood pumping to my junk. We drafted this player last year. As you point out, his name is Lucas Raymond. Is undersized winger really what you want to double down on? I think Eklund is more than reasonable between 4 and 9. That doesn't mean that I am overly excited about picking him for the Wings.

Fair enough. I can respect that line of thought, and that's pretty much where I would expect Eklund to drop to (well, 4 to 6).

In an ideal world we're picking #1 or #2 and have our choice between Power, Clarke and Beniers. The 2 best D and the best center/best overall forward. The next tier of guys with Eklund, Guenther, Johnson, Hughes, Edvinsson and Wallstedt isn't bad though. The only two of that bunch that give me pause are Johnson (only a little) and Edvinsson (a lot) . I consider Johnson if we slide from 6th to 8th. Edvinsson...I think he's a guy you take when you're in a good position to gamble. I don't think we're in a good position to gamble considering the 15, 16 and 17 drafts were not hits for us.

I was listening to THN's podcast about the WJC u18's on the way to work today and they were discussing Sweden and Edvinsson, and it was a lot of talk about how his decision making in his zone can be troublesome. That he's the kind of player who will definitely need a great coach at the next level before figuring it out.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

That he's the kind of player who will definitely need a great coach at the next level before figuring it out.

That's a little nerve-wracking, considering this organization doesn't have the most sparkling reputation when it comes to developing defensemen from scratch. Pretty much every project defenseman has busted.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Fair enough. I can respect that line of thought, and that's pretty much where I would expect Eklund to drop to (well, 4 to 6).

In an ideal world we're picking #1 or #2 and have our choice between Power, Clarke and Beniers. The 2 best D and the best center/best overall forward. The next tier of guys with Eklund, Guenther, Johnson, Hughes, Edvinsson and Wallstedt isn't bad though. The only two of that bunch that give me pause are Johnson (only a little) and Edvinsson (a lot) . I consider Johnson if we slide from 6th to 8th. Edvinsson...I think he's a guy you take when you're in a good position to gamble. I don't think we're in a good position to gamble considering the 15, 16 and 17 drafts were not hits for us.

I was listening to THN's podcast about the WJC u18's on the way to work today and they were discussing Sweden and Edvinsson, and it was a lot of talk about how his decision making in his zone can be troublesome. That he's the kind of player who will definitely need a great coach at the next level before figuring it out.

I will also be the first to admit that my thinking is clearly shaped based upon what we have in the organization presently. If we had strong center depth I would probably be more excited for him.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Fair enough. I can respect that line of thought, and that's pretty much where I would expect Eklund to drop to (well, 4 to 6).

In an ideal world we're picking #1 or #2 and have our choice between Power, Clarke and Beniers. The 2 best D and the best center/best overall forward. The next tier of guys with Eklund, Guenther, Johnson, Hughes, Edvinsson and Wallstedt isn't bad though. The only two of that bunch that give me pause are Johnson (only a little) and Edvinsson (a lot) . I consider Johnson if we slide from 6th to 8th. Edvinsson...I think he's a guy you take when you're in a good position to gamble. I don't think we're in a good position to gamble considering the 15, 16 and 17 drafts were not hits for us.

I was listening to THN's podcast about the WJC u18's on the way to work today and they were discussing Sweden and Edvinsson, and it was a lot of talk about how his decision making in his zone can be troublesome. That he's the kind of player who will definitely need a great coach at the next level before figuring it out.

Weird, I didn't think his defensive zone decision making was that bad when you talk strictly about his play without the puck. I do think he could show more urgency from time to time though. He certainly has some question marks. I will give you that.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

________
TOP 5
________
1- POWER
2- BERNIERS
3- CLARKE
4- GUENTHER
5- EDVINSON

* no more small rat forwards

...and Detroit won't be in a position to draft any of them.